Hope In Forever
by AndYouLoveHer
Summary: Its their anniversary, romantic meal and gorgeous man infront of her. Esme remembers how they met, how she swooned, and the hope in forever. AU/OOC/AH -For ninapolitan on her birthday


**Hope in Forever**

**Prompts: overhead projector, pasta, poetry**

**Pairing: Carlisle/Esme**

**All copyright and trademarked items mentioned herein belong to their respective owners. The remaining content is all the original author's. No copying or reproduction of this work is permitted without their express written authorization.**

**A/N: Happy birthday Nina!**

**EsPOV**

My husband sat across from me, beaming at me and holding my hands. The candles in the room flickered as the wax slowly dripped down the sides.

It was our ten year anniversary. Carlisle and I had been married for ten years, and together for eleven.

This beautiful man sat across from me, so proud of himself for making my favorite meal. Really I am happy with any sort of pasta, but he made chicken fettuccini alfredo.

"Esme, my love, these have been the happiest eleven years and thirty-three days of my life." I tucked my chin, smiling as he kissed my hand.

"Moooooooommm, Edward won't stop staring at me!" I chuckled when Carlisle's face hit the table in an exasperated sigh. Alice was six, and her older brother Edward was eight. I loved our children, and their interruption did nothing but make the night more joyous as Carlisle kissed the back of my hand once more, and excused himself to go tuck the kids back into bed once more.

I loved that man more than anyone could ever imagine.

While he was gone, I took a bite of my pasta, and thought back to the time we met.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

I was so nervous for my last literature class of my undergraduate degree. It was my final semester of my senior year, and I had to pass this class to graduate in May.

I heard the professor teaching the course on poetry was new, and a graduate student at the university I was attending. This made matters worse because I was convinced he would be a poor teacher, and that there was no way I was going to learn anything from him.

The moment he walked in the through the classroom door, wearing dark-wash jeans and a sweater vest over a white button-down shirt, I stopped thinking about the course altogether.

I internally smacked myself, remembering that he was still my professor. He walked with such an air of confidence. He had remarkably shiny blonde hair, and blue eyes that seemed to work much like a stun gun. And the way his sleeves were rolled up displayed how sculpted and perfect his biceps were.

Then he smiled.

"Morning guys, I'm your professor for Poetry 101. My name is Carlisle Cullen. I don't care what you call me really, Mr. Cullen, Professor Cullen. I prefer Carlisle myself, but whatever you're most comfortable with."

Can I call you Professor Hot Bitch perhaps?

"Excuse me, um… Miss Platt? Is it?" He looked at me with his eyebrows raised.

"Huh, uh, I uh, didn't say anything? Did I?" Oh gosh, oh gosh, oh gosh.

He laughed, "Moving on…"

He walked over the overhead projector, placing an open book on the surface, then looked up at the screen and started to read:

Life In A Loveby Robert Browning

Escape me?

Never—

Beloved!

While I am I, and you are you,

So long as the world contains us both,

Me the loving and you the loth,

While the one eludes, must the other pursue.

My life is a fault at last, I fear—

It seems too much like a fate, indeed!

Though I do my best I shall scarce succeed—

But what if I fail of my purpose here?

It is but to keep the nerves at strain,

To dry one's eyes and laugh at a fall,

And baffled, get up to begin again,—

So the chase takes up one's life, that's all.

While, look but once from your farthest bound,

At me so deep in the dust and dark,

No sooner the old hope drops to ground

Than a new one, straight to the selfsame mark,

I shape me—

Ever

Removed!

I listened intently as his voice smoothed over the words, and my heart melted into a puddle on the floor.

When he finished the last line, he sighed deeply before turning to address the class.

"So what do you think the poet was trying to say?" When no one responded, he followed with, "Okay… what does the poem mean to… you?"

He turned and looked directly into my eyes, and that was the moment I knew I would spend the rest of my life with this man.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Carlisle walked back into the room, bringing me back to the present.

"The kids are asleep, my love." His lips brushed against mine. He handed me a glass of champagne, and we toasted. "To another ten years of absolute bliss with the most beautiful woman in the world."

We sipped our champagne, and I pulled him into a deep kiss.

"How about some dessert, Professor?"

He moaned into my mouth, picking me up, my legs wrapped around his waist as he carried me up to our bedroom.

__________________________________________________________

Note: Hotbitch was not "stolen" but merely used in honor of you Nina. =) I sincerely hope you have enjoyed.

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http://thefandomgivesback(dot)proboards(dot)com/index(dot)cgi?board=fic&action=display&thread=137


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